Jeremiad
by SincerelyRainbow
Summary: What started out as something beautifully innocent turned into something deadly, but just as beautiful. From his first moments on earth until his dying breath, he was destined to be extraordinary. Rated T for content. The story is on INDEFINITE HIATUS!
1. Angelic

**AUTHOR NOTES: **There's so many of these following the lives of stories, but I really wanted to try my hand at it. A lot of the beginning chapters were inspired by real events. This first chapter is his birth. Baby Mello just seems so cute. And yes, he has siblings. Might be slightly AU in that content. Chapter two up ASAP.  
**WARNINGS: **Spoilers for his name?  
**DISCLAIMER: **I think we've all learned I don't own Death Note. Nor do I own Russia or Catholism, which is about all this chapter has?

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December 13, 1989 had been quite the busy day for Sergei and Lara Keehl. Lara had just given birth to the second child of the Keehl family, a new baby boy. The pair already had a daughter, seven at the time of her new sibling's birth. Her name had been Irina, a Russian name meaning "peace." The Keehl's were a highly religious family. There was rarely a Sunday that passed where the local church did not see the Keehl's front and center for the weekly Mass, and most of their free time was dedicated to the church. In fact, the family had been at the church when Lara went into labor. Thus, it was only fitting that their new baby boy be named Mihael, after the arch-angel.

Mihael was born with very light blond hair, albeit there wasn't much hair there, and his eyes were the purest of baby blue. His name suited his features for his features were truly angelic.

Mr. Keehl, who had spent quite his share of hours at the hospital with his wife, he gone home to make sure the house was ready for the new baby, leaving his wife and daughter to spend time with the new baby. Gazing down into her new blessing's eyes, Mrs. Keehl could see all the dreams and hopes she had for Mihael. With God's help, she could see the small baby growing into a strong young man, perhaps singing in a church choir. From her hospital bed, with nothing but her family, everything seemed truly perfect.

Irina stood at the edge of the bed, staring down at her new baby brother. He had looked much like the baby dolls that she had often played mother to.

"Mommy, can I hold him?" questioned the girl.

"Only if you sit up on the bed and hold him just like I tell you to," their mother replied, bending her knees to make room for her eldest child to sit on the bed.

Irina climbed upon the bed. She pushed her long blond pigtails behind her shoulders to keep them out of reach of the new baby. As Mihael was placed gently in her arms, the young girl stared down at him. Up close, he looked even more like her baby dolls. A small part of her almost wanted to squeeze him, just to see if he was real. He cried like a real baby, but so did a few of her baby dolls.

"So, he's really my baby brother?"

Her mother nodded with a gentle, yet tired, smile. Just as she finished nodding, a nurse walked in, pushing a small plastic bin. The bin had cushioning on the inside and a blanket. It was resting on a carrier, which had wheels on the bottom and another shelf of baby belongings. The outside of the bin had a sheet of paper attached to it, containing Mihael's information.

The nurse looked to Mrs. Keehl, smiling politely and saying, "I'm afraid it's time to take Mihael to the nursery."

Upon hearing this, Irina grinned at her mother. "See look, he's defective. They want to take him back." Her grin grew even wider as she continued speaking, "I guess I'll be the only child again, huh?"

Lara took Mihael from Irina as gently as possible, kissing him and whispering a small prayer in his ear before handing him to the nurse. As the nurse pushed Mihael's carrier out of the room, Irina took the opportunity to snuggle up to her mother.

"Now that he's gone," she started, hugging her mother, "You can go back to giving me all your love."

A small sigh escaped her mother's lips as she soothed back the child's hair, "You have to learn to share with your new brother. You know your father and I have enough love for both of you. Besides, you'll love him yourself one day. Just wait and see."


	2. I Can Only Imagine

**AUTHOR NOTES: **This chapter is just a cutesy mother and son moment. Although, I think it has significance for showing how close Mello's family is and how close to God the family as a whole is. I can't wait to get to the Whammy House though. Then I get to bring in L, Matt and Near. I really hope people are reading this story. I need some encouragement, so kindly review. Also, I meant to put this in chapter one, but Jeremiad means a tale of sorrow.  
**Warnings: **For the last time, his real name. Otherwise, this is a very safe chapter.  
**Disclaimer: **Let's be real here.

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Mihael aged quickly, and before the Keehl's realized it, he had already turned five years old. His sister had already turned twelve as well. The children were growing up so fast, and Lara found it unbelievable that her son had already reached five. It seemed like only yesterday she was holding him in her arms for the first time. And now, he was growing young boy, and just as they had prayed, he was also growing into a devout Catholic as well.

She had been cleaning the living room when a soft voice began to fill her ears.

"Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for you, Jesus, or in awe of you be still?" sang out the voice, filling the kitchen and drifting into the living room.

The curiosity in the woman grew as she allowed the dust rag to fall onto the table and began to investigate where the source of the sound was. Making her way towards the kitchen, the voice was beginning to grow louder.

"Will I stand in your presence, or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing Hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all?"

When Lara pressed the swinging door open, she was astounded to see that the strong voice was coming from her son. He was perched at the kitchen counter, his feet dangling from the stool, coloring in a book that he had gotten from Sunday school and singing the song just as strong as a boy his age could manage. She couldn't believe her ears. Not only was this voice coming from her son, a boy of merely five years old, but it was one of the most angelic voices she had ever heard projecting from a child.

Mihael's baby blue eyes seemed fixated on the picture as he finished the song with a strong, "I can only imagine." Only after his song had ended did he look up to see his mother and smile at her.

Lara walked over towards her son, glancing at his picture that he had been coloring. It was nothing more than a lamb frolicking in a meadow. Of course, being five, it wasn't colored very realistically. The sheep appeared to be more of a fluffy, blue color. Mihael looked down at the picture of the sheep and looked back to his mother, his blue eyes filled with questions.

Turning in his stool to face his mother, Mihael looked up at his mother and spoke, "Mommy, is it true that when the lion lays down with the lamb, there will be peace?"

For a moment, Lara's mouth fell open. Such an intelligent question from such a young child. She had always known he would be smart, but she never knew just how smart he would be.

"That is what God says, isn't it?" the small blond questioned once more, gazing up at his mother as he awaited an answer.

"Of course, dear. God never lies."

To that, Mihael nodded. He stood up in his stool, soft blue crayon still in hand, and wrapped his small arms around his mother's neck. His eyes fell upon a necklace graced around her neck. It was a small golden chain with a small, simple cross dangling from it. The cross itself hung below her collar bone, almost laying on top of her heart. The boy picked up the cross in his free hand and admired it longingly.

"I want my own cross," he stated quietly, his eyes focused in on the cross, "Then I can have God with me all the time like you and Daddy."

Lara smiled at her son, hugging him closer and placing a small kiss atop his blond locks. "God is always with you, just as I am and your father is."

The answer seemed simple enough for the logic of the boy, who was smarter than his years gave him, for he simply smiled at his mother once more. "Will you sing with me?"

"Of course, son."

And thus another play of 'I Can Only Imagine' was sang throughout the house, Mihael's soft, angelic child's voice and his mother's older, yet still angelic voice filling the kitchen and pouring into the surrounding rooms.


	3. Christmas Eve

**AUTHOR NOTES:** Well, this story seems to have a few fans, so that's why I'm continuing. This chapter is special. The ending is slight cliff hanger though. I'll go ahead and warn you. The next chapter is going to be full of angst and stuff like that. I'm trying to get to the Whammy Arc ASAP. Originally, Mello was going to have another younger sibling. Of course, it was going to die somehow. But I felt mean killing babies, so yeah. Little baby didn't happen. So here, have a Christmas Eve.

**WARNINGS:**None. Pretty safe chapter. This one is cute to me.  
**DISCLAIMER: **Didn't we already discuss this?

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Two more years passed quickly by. Mihael's seventh birthday had just passed. It had been a small party. After all, Mihael didn't have many friends outside of the few and far between he associated with in Sunday school. It wasn't that he didn't want friends, he just wasn't the most sociable of people. Generally, he was cold and anti-social. His behavior was not normal for a boy his age. Of course, never in his life would Mihael be considered normal. This was fact, and there was nothing that could change that. But his birthday came and went all the same.

Eleven days passed, making the date Christmas Eve 1996. The Keehl's had just returned home from church. It was about 10 at night upon their return. Neither Mihael nor Irina were ready to go to sleep just yet. Mihael was anxiously waiting the arrival of Santa Claus, although after seeing a quite slim Santa the year before (who may or may not have been Mister Keehl), he had his doubts of the jolly man's existence. Truth be known, both children were anxiously awaiting Christmas morning to open their gifts. Various boxes, all wrapped in festive papers and covered in bows and name tags, awaited the children under the tree. The pair of children sat down in front of the tree, which had ornaments of all kinds dangling from its branches. Each child had their eyes on the presents that had their own name scribbled on the tag, mentally making a list of which ones they wanted to open first in the following morning.

Irina looked up at her parents, giving the best begging face that she could muster up, "Can we open just one before bed?"

She fluttered her eyelashes innocently, her emerald green eyes sparkling as she did so. Before either parent had a chance to answer, Mihael chimed in as well. "Please?" the children said in unison.

If Irina's fluttering eyelashes hadn't been enough, Lara and Sergei were certainly pushed by the pair's pleading, and Mihael's own bright blue eyes. It didn't take long before the parents gave in, warning the children that they were only allowed to pick one present. The rest would have to wait until morning. Nodding excitedly, the kids eyed the presents once more. Each grabbed one that sparked particular interest to them for whatever reason. Irina picked open a box, green in wrapping with a red bow, and shredded the paper open. Inside the box lied a portable CD player, complete with headphones. She had always needed a new one.

Mihael's box, however, had been a little more special. The wrapping itself was plain. Red paper with a white ribbon, nothing too spectacular. In a few quick, ripping motions, the paper was removed to reveal a brown box. The box was much like the wrapping paper in the fact that it wasn't anything spectacular, and Mihael was beginning to feel as though he chose the wrong present. It wasn't until he removed the top of the box's top that he discovered just how special the present had been. Inside the box, laying atop a bed of white material, was a string of rosary beads, complete with a cross dangling at the end. The boy's bright blue eyes shone brightly as he pulled the necklace from the box and placed it over his neck. His small fingers felt around the cross, taking in its texture. He stared at it with child-like amazement for a while.

"Do you like it, son?" his father's voice pulled Mihael out of his trance.

Immediately, he nodded and rose from the floor. He dashed towards his parents, giving each one of them the biggest hug his thin frame could muster up. His mother placed a quick kiss on her son's cheek before speaking, "Okay, you two, off to bed now. You can open the rest in the morning."

Obediently, the children said their good-nights and ran off to bed, both looking forward to the oncoming morning. Lying in his bed, Mihael continued stroking the cross that had found a new permanent home around his neck. He closed his eyes and tried to feign sleep. His attempted, however, were in vain. For some unknown reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that he shouldn't fall asleep at all.

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**MORE AUTHOR NOTES**: So it's like 4 am now. I've been reading Another Note (Please don't spoil it. I'm only on chapter three, and I just started that chapter). Decent book. Check it out. But that's besides the point. Somebody told me that Mello gets sent to Whammy at four. But I don't remember reading that anywhere. Is it true? Please read and review.


	4. Blaze

**AUTHOR NOTES:** First of all, this is the longest chapter so far. I thought that was pretty cool. I wish more people were reading this. I swear Matt and the rest of the Whammy kids are coming in like two chapters. Three at the most. These first chapters are the set up. Please leave some reviews people. Anyway, this chapter is pretty tragic, but it doesn't set right with me. If you don't like it, I don't blame you. D: Well, here you go.  
**WARNINGS: **Nothing too graphic.  
**DISCLAIMER:** I haven't gained the rights to Death Note in twelve hours. Hell, I couldn't even get to Japan in twelve hours. XD

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Mihael had been sleeping soundly, dreaming of the upcoming morning as most children did on Christmas Eve. His blanket was wrapped around him as tightly as possible. The rosary was bunched up around his small neck. He had not taken it off since he got it. Deep in sleep, the boy had not heard the first warning beeps of the smoke detector, the beeps that usually went off for something small like too much smoke from the oven. It wasn't until the beeps grew louder to the point they could be heard out in the front yard that Mihael woke up. When he first opened his eyes, blinking a few times and rubbing them with the back of his hand, everything seemed fine. With the exception of the growing noise, everything seemed to be in check. His bedroom was untouched, all his toys were just where he had left them. His first instinct was to go back to bed. However, his growing curiosity wanted to know just where the beeping was coming from.

The blond rose from his bed. His blanket fell to the ground, and subconsciously his fingers laced themselves around the beads of the rosary. A small yawn made its way from his lips. He walked towards the door and stopped for a brief moment. He pressed his ear to the door, listening as if he wasn't supposed to be eavesdropping in the first place. The first sound that filled his ears was the sound of the smoke detector, blaring full force. If he drowned out the beeping, Mihael could make out the sounds of panicky female voices, presumably those of his mother and sister. It was after he heard those voices that he decided to investigate further.

When Mihael opened the door, the first thing he noticed was the thick smoke that seemed to be coming from the downstairs area. From his spot in front of his bed room door, he could see no further than the other end of the hallway. Thus he walked further, coughing as he did so. The air suddenly felt dirty, and it had grown harder to breathe.

"Momma?" the blond questioned, coughing as he did so, "Momma, where are you?"  
Panic flooded the boy when he heard no reply. He made his way towards the stairs. The smoke was building as he drew nearer. At the top of the stairs, his eyes fell upon the most horrific sight his seven year old self had ever seen. The living room, which only hours before had been beautifully decorated, was now slowly being consumed by flames. The tree that had been the envy of the neighborhood (and the initial cause of the fire) was engulfed completely, along with the presents that laid beneath it. At first all he could do was stare, his blue eyes glazing over with unshed tears. He couldn't cry. After all, it was just material possessions. Materials, he learned, could be replaced. He needed to find his family. This in mind, he darted down the stairs, running towards the kitchen before the flames made their way towards it. Surely, his mother had to be there. That was where she spent quite a bit of her time, Mihael recalled. She was always baking something. Perhaps, like he had at first, she had not noticed the beeping. This was irrational thinking, but times of crisis tended to bring out irrationality in its victims, especially when they were as young as Mihael.

As the kitchen door flung open, the blond was distressed that the room was empty. His mother was not in there either. He froze. Where could she be? Where could anybody be? The boy tried to think, but between the coughing and the heat, he was having problems doing so. Like the rooms themselves, the smoke was clouding over his logic. The boy was unaware of the tears that rolled down his cheeks and the fact his fingers were clutching the cross around his neck as though his very life depended on it.

"Mihael!" a voice managed to cough out in the smoke. Suddenly a pair of arms were wrapped under the blond's arms, and he felt himself being pulled off the ground. A rag was placed gently over his face by one of the arms around him. Before Mihael had time to think, the person was rushing him towards the front door. As the scene rushed by, he noticed the fire creeping its way up the very stairs he had rushed down. Had he waited to come down he would have been trapped by the flames, much like his father was. Luckily, Mihael had been rescued by his mother, and the fire fighters arrived moments later to put out the flames.

Unknown to the rest of the family, Sergei had went to the attic to get presents. The presents had been hidden there to be pulled out of hiding and placed under the tree from "Santa Claus." Once the fire started, he had tried to grab at least one present for each child. Despite the fire, he didn't want his children to not have any presents to open in the morning, no matter how things played out that night. In his mind, he had figured the fire would be put out early, only charring one portion of the house. Then he could return from the attic with the presents that Santa had brought to make them feel better. However, things didn't go as he had planned. The fire had spread quicker than he had planned, by the time he was able to get down from the attic, the fire had already burnt most of the downstairs, and the top story was growing unsteady. The stairs themselves weren't safe to go down. Sergei had passed out from smoke inhalation, and he would not be there when Christmas came that morning.

Tears flowed down both Lara's and Irina's eyes as the firefighters brought out the charred remains of Sergei Keehl. Mihael watched in depressing astonishment as the fire was put out and his father was taken to an ambulance. Although they didn't need the ambulance anyway. He had been pronounced dead at the scene.

Sadness, grief nor mourning had time to set in before Mihael himself was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

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**AUTHOR NOTES:** Sergei's death seems kind of off to me. Although, it's kind of nice that he tried to save some presents for his kids. People do stupid things in times of crisis? I don't know. I told you I don't like this chapter.


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